


Finding More Than Thestrals

by KoraKwidditch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adult Hermione Granger, Banter, Bickering, Camping, Co-workers, Draco Malfoy wearing Ron Weasley's clothing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fade to Black, Fluff, Hints of Smut, Ministry of Magic Employee Hermione Granger, Only One Bed, POV Hermione Granger, Potions Master Draco Malfoy, Thestrals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:41:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26117401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoraKwidditch/pseuds/KoraKwidditch
Summary: Hermione and Draco reluctantly team up to look for the missing Thestral herd that disappeared from Hogwarts grounds after the War. Camping, banter, and an annoyed Draco included.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 37
Kudos: 154
Collections: Magical Vacation Manip/Writing Fest





	Finding More Than Thestrals

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to Hermione's Nook for hosting this fun fest! It was so unique to create a story around an already made manip. 
> 
> Thank you to Mimifreed for making the manip!
> 
> and special beta love to my one and only FaeOrabel
> 
> Enjoy!! (and make sure to check out the rest of the works in this fest!! I made a Blarry manip that inspired two of my favorite people, ArielSakura and FaeOrabel to make stories!

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/143851546@N04/50269974472/in/dateposted-public/)

* * *

Hermione took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air, relishing in the scent of pine and dirt. The lush green of the trees swayed gently in the breeze as she stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the valley below. The setting sun cast a faint orange on the valley, making Hermione feel as if she stared at a painting. 

It would have been peaceful, serene, had a loud grunt behind her—followed by a slew of expletives—not ruined the moment. 

“I don’t understand how anyone enjoys this disgusting—there are bugs everywhere!” Draco said as he broke through the shrubbery, joining her on the cliffside. He brushed stray leaves from his shirt and wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead. 

Hermione rolled her eyes, trying to bite back a chuckle. “It’s not _my_ fault your parents didn’t teach you how to properly survive in the wilderness.”

Draco grimaced as he approached her, carefully glancing down to the valley below. “You really think they’re nearby?” 

“The thestrals? Of course. My research led us exactly here, you know I’m never—”

“Never wrong, yes trust me, I know.” Draco bit back, smirking at the flush that now covered Hermione’s cheeks. 

They had become reluctant coworkers these past few weeks, both studying thestrals for various reasons. The herd from Hogwarts had seemingly disappeared from the grounds after the war. Draco needed the thestral hair for his potion ingredients collection, and Hermione was tasked with finding where the herd had gone for the Ministry.

When Draco had gone to the Ministry to inquire on their whereabouts, The Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had pointed him to Hermione’s office. There had been some squabbling at first, but eventually, they came to an agreement. Draco would assist with her research, and when the time came to find the herd, he would be allowed to go with her. 

And now here they were, nearly two months later, finally discovering just where those creatures had disappeared to. Hermione’s research had led them to the mountains of Spain, which was apparently where the thestrals had decided to vanish. 

“Why does it have to be so...wild? Why couldn’t they have decided to make a home in a city? Or at least somewhere with plumbing and no—bloody—bugs!” Draco swatted away more gnats from his face, causing Hermione to bark out a laugh at his obvious irritation. 

“Come on, let’s go set up the tent, and I’ll give you something to help with that.” 

Hermione went back into the forest with Draco following close behind. They had found a small clearing nearby that would be perfect for their campsite, and after digging around in her Extended purse for a moment, she pulled out the tent. It was a newer version than the one Mr Weasley had given her all those years ago during the Horcrux hunt, and while a bit smaller, it was more suited to two or three people rather than ten. But it still made her grin as she set it up, the excitement of living in the woods again bubbling in her chest. It had been nearly a year since she last camped, and Merlin how she missed it. 

With a flick of her wand, the tent began to assemble itself, the wooden poles snapping together as the tarp draped over them. In a matter of seconds, the shelter stood proudly, the white canvas entrance tying itself open. 

Draco stood next to her completely flabbergasted. “It’s... small?” He said it like a question, as if unsure of what to make of it. 

Hermione grinned, “Are you a wizard, or not? Go inside.” 

Draco disappeared inside the opening, and Hermione watched as the interior lanterns turned on. The tent began to glow in the yellow of the dying sunlight, and Hermione sighed contentedly before following Draco inside. 

The tent was all one room the size of a small apartment; a large queen-sized bed against one side, and a kitchenette on the other. A small couch and armchair in the centre surrounded a coffee table, two steaming mugs of tea sitting on the surface. 

Hermione brushed past Draco and grabbed her cup, the perfectly chipped, blue ceramic familiar in her hand. Taking a sip, she gestured to the other and Draco reluctantly reached forward to pick up the yellow mug, Hermione’s parents’ dentistry logo printed on the side. 

“So…there’s only one bed,” Draco commented as he looked around the room. 

“Yes, well I can transfigure it easily into two. Don’t worry, Malfoy, you won’t have to share a bed with me.” 

Hermione giggled quietly as she saw a small blush cover his cheeks. They had struck up an odd friendship these past weeks, and their teasing no longer held malice; instead, it felt fun. When they were together, Hermione usually found her face sore afterwards from all the smiling she did. She was surprised to find that when this was all over, she would actually miss his company. What a funny thing to think, Hermione Granger, missing the company of Draco Malfoy, her prior school bully of all people. 

Draco set his mug back to the coffee table, and when his eyes flicked to the ground, he let out a startled groan. “My shoes!” 

Hermione followed his gaze, pressing her lips together to stop the laugh from escaping. Draco’s shoes were entirely covered in mud. 

“ _You_ were the one who decided to wear dragon-hide boots, Malfoy. I told you to wear something comfortable.” Hermione muttered into her mug, “and maybe less expensive.”

Draco gestured to his attire, “This _is_ comfortable.” 

“I fail to see how a suit that probably costs more than my year’s salary is comfortable. Didn’t you bring anything else?” 

“Of course I did. It’s all in my trunk that you put into your bag this morning.” 

“Oh, right. Here—” Hermione set her mug down and placed the bag on the floor, shoving her arm up to the shoulder as she rummaged around. Finally finding the handle of the trunk, she pulled it out and slid it over to Malfoy. “I don’t understand why you had to bring all that with; we’ll be leaving tomorrow once we find the herd.” 

Draco sniffed and opened the trunk, “I know you don’t understand with your...” he gestured to her khaki shorts. “Whatever those are, but some of us enjoy the finer things.” 

He pulled out a pair of blue silk pyjamas, and Hermione rolled her eyes. “Malfoy, you can’t be serious. You can’t wear _that_ while camping. We’re supposed to be roughing it, enjoying the wilderness.” 

She took a quick look through his trunk, discovering that the clothes he had brought with him were all the same—expensive. 

“I have some clothes from when…well, you know.” She couldn’t say the words out loud, couldn’t bring herself to talk to him about the War. 

Walking back to her bag, Hermione grabbed one of Ron’s old red shirts and a pair of his cargo shorts. “At least with these, you won’t have to worry about getting them dirty, and you and Ron seem to be about the same height, so hopefully they should fit. He should have shoes around here somewhere...ha!” 

Pulling out a pair of Chucks, Hermione handed them to a grimacing Draco. “Granger, if you think for one minute I’m going to wear your boyfriend's disgusting Weasley hand-me-downs—” 

“Ex.” 

Draco blinked up at her from the clothes in his hands. “What?” 

“Ex-boyfriend, Ron and I broke up nearly a year ago, Malfoy.” 

He blinked again, processing her words. “Why didn’t I know about this?” 

“Because you’re too self-centred to notice?” Hermione giggled at the deadpan expression he gave her. “I suppose I just never publicly aired it. I didn’t think it was a big deal; we just didn’t work.” 

A silence fell over them, Draco stood, still holding the clothes while Hermione awkwardly rifled around in the bag to collect various items to make a fire outside. Setting aside kindling, Hermione looked up to find piercing grey eyes on her. 

“What?” 

Draco pinched his lips together, “I have to change.” 

It took a moment for it to register what he meant, but once it did, Hermione felt her cheeks heat with a bright blush. “I’m sorry! I-I’ll just—” Quickly grabbing the supplies, she retreated through the tent opening. 

The sky had darkened considerably in the time they had been in the tent, and Hermione rushed about to create a fire. Trying to forget about Draco changing, she collected firewood from around the campsite. When she finally had it set up and mumbled a quick _Incendio,_ Hermione was sure the flame matched the colour of her cheeks. 

Draco Malfoy was currently naked in her tent.

Raking her hands in her curls, Hermione tried to get the image of his broad shoulders and muscular arms from her mind. The fire crackled in front of her, and she sighed at the heat and smell of burnt wood. Campfires had always been her favourite part of camping, roasting food over the flames, sitting around telling ghost stories. 

Merlin, how she missed this. 

A throat clearing behind her had her jolting and spinning around. Draco stood at the tent entrance, and the sight of him in regular clothing had Hermione’s breath catching. The shorts were a little too short, and the shirt a bit snug, but… 

He looked perfect. 

Coming to sit beside her on the ground, Draco crossed his legs, and Hermione spied the faded Dark Mark against his forearm. It was odd that she wasn’t repulsed by it as she once had been. 

“You know, I’ve never sat in front of a campfire before.” 

Hermione glanced at him from the corner of her eye to find him staring into the orange flames. “Really?”

He smirked, though the smile looked bittersweet. “Things like this didn’t really fit into our lifestyle. Our fires were normally contained in some form of immaculate fireplace.” 

They fell into a comfortable silence, though something in Hermione still felt awkward. It was like she saw Draco for the first time—really saw him. She noticed the way his pale hair fell over his forehead from where it came loose from the perfectly styled coif; how the fire glinting in his grey orbs made them appear like molten silver; how the orange flames illuminated his alabaster skin, giving him a glow that had her stomach clenching. 

Oh _no_. 

She fancied Draco. 

Shaking her head, she tried to dispel the thoughts from her mind. No, they were tentative friends at best. They were simply doing this one job together, and then she would never see him again. That was that. That was all it was. The pop of the fire had her thoughts brought back to the present, and she glanced over to Draco again to find him watching her. 

“Is there food?” 

Hermione blinked, “Pardon?” 

“Food, Granger. I would hope you brought _something_ , or must we scavenge and hunt for our dinner like animals?” Draco smirked at her as she bristled. 

“Of course I brought food. I wouldn’t have expected the magnificent Draco Malfoy to know how to hunt for dinner. We wouldn’t want you to break a nail.” She stood, grinning to herself at the flabbergasted expression on Draco’s face. It was a rare moment when she won their bickering contest. 

Grabbing her nearby bag, she rifled through to grab the sausages she had brought, along with the buns. Finding a suitable stick, Hermione speared a sausage and handed it to Draco, who looked at her with evident confusion. 

Hermione gestured to the fire, “You cook it.” 

Draco narrowed his gaze, “But it will burn.” 

She rolled her eyes and let out a huff of irritation. Grabbing another stick, she speared her own sausage to show him what to do. 

“See? Just over top of the flames, and it’ll begin to brown. Rotate it a little, perfect!” 

Draco grimaced at his stick, “How is this cooking? My sausage is completely burnt!”

Giggling, Hermione reached out to grab his hand and lift it higher. Their skin meeting sent a swarm of butterflies to her stomach, and she quickly pulled away, thankful that the orange glow of their fire camouflaged her blush. 

“You had it too low in the flames,” she muttered, averting eye contact, afraid that Draco would be able to see right through her. 

Draco pulled the sausage from the fire and looked at it, grimacing at the charred surface. Plucking it off the stick, he tossed it to the edge of their camp. 

“Malfoy!” Hermione reprimanded. “What did you do that for?” 

“It was burnt,” he shrugged. “Hand me another.” 

Hermione gave him the pack, and when he burned that one, too, it met the other on the ground. 

“Stop wasting food! _Honestly_ , have this one.” Hermione gave him her stick and grabbed a roll. Expertly sliding the meat from the skewer, she handed him the sandwich. “Here.” 

“But it has dirt on it.” Draco grimaced as he inspected the food. 

“Oh for the love of Merlin—just eat it! I wish some of Ron’s personality would rub off on you from those clothes. _He_ wouldn’t care about eating this.”

Hermione had expected a snarky reply, but instead, she was met with silence. Draco held tightly on to his sandwich, the bread squashing under his fingers as he stared into the fire. 

The silence became unbearable, and Hermione mentally kicked herself for her words. She had only wanted banter, yearned for their quick-witted arguments. Never had she upset him to the point of speechlessness. Hermione knew he didn’t like Ron—knew there was some seed of bitter resentment between the two of them. Apparently, she didn’t realise just how far it went. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you two had broken up?” 

Hermione looked up to find his molten gaze on her, the sandwich long forgotten in his hand. “I didn’t think it was important.” 

“You should have told me.” 

Hermione narrowed her eyes, “Why do you care?” 

Draco averted his gaze, looking back to the fire. It must have been a trick of the firelight, but Hermione swore that she saw some pink on his cheeks. 

Suddenly, Draco stood, handing her back the crumbled sandwich and retreating to the tent. “It’s cold out here, Granger. Why do you think this is fun?” 

Hermione sat for a moment, trying to wrap her head around what just happened. A seed of hope planted in her chest that maybe…maybe he felt the same way she did for him. After a moment, she followed him, tossing the sandwich with the others and mumbling a spell to put out the fire. 

Walking through the now drawn tent flaps, Hermione found Draco shirtless and rifling through his trunk. His back muscles rippled from where it faced her as his arms yanked out a silk nightshirt. Hermione had to shake herself in order to bring her mind out of the naughty thoughts his bare back caused.

“Why is it so important that you knew I wasn’t with Ron anymore?”

A grumbled reply came from his lips as he slipped the shirt over his arms, the dark blue clashing beautifully with his pale hair. 

Hermione walked closer, “I’m sorry; I didn’t quite catch that?” 

Draco whirled around, the front of his shirt still unbuttoned. Hermione forced her gaze to stay on his face, but her treacherous eyes betrayed her. The muscles she discovered had her practically whimpering with want. Finally tearing herself from his torso, Hermione nearly gasped as she flickered her vision back up to Draco’s. His eyes seemed to have absorbed some heat from the fire as they found hers, the silver still like liquid pools of mercury. 

“Because I’m in love with you!” His chest heaved with the shouted admission, and Hermione swore a spark of magic fluttered through the room, her skin instantly covered in goosebumps. 

They stared at each other for what felt like hours, though Hermione was sure it was only a few seconds. She watched as she saw the fire leave Draco’s eyes, as his shoulders slumped inward, as he seemed to think her hesitation was because she didn’t feel the same. 

Oh, how wrong he was. 

Closing the distance between them, Hermione cupped his face, and before her brain overpowered her desire, she kissed him. 

Draco smelled like campfire, and the scent invaded her nostrils tenderly like the gentle swirl of smoke. His lips were soft but firm as he kissed her back, and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her entirely against him. A small sense of Gryffindor bravery fueled her, and Hermione darted her tongue out as their lips learned each other. 

Draco sighed through his nose as his tongue followed suit, hands spreading across her back and up into her curls. 

Hermione pulled away first for air, giggling lightly as Draco tried to chase after her lips. 

Draco smirked at her laugh, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. “I have wanted to do that for _weeks_.” 

“Weeks?” She pulled back to look at him in surprise. 

“From the first moment you told me to fuck off when I questioned part of your research.” Bending low, he recaptured her mouth in a toe-curling kiss. Hermione, emboldened by the grasp of his hands and the feel of his lips, pulled him towards the bed. 

Their kiss broke as she walked backwards, Draco trailing after her like a love-sick puppy. A moment of confusion passed his face, but when she placed her hands on his bare chest, he seemed to understand what she wanted. 

They undressed in a flurried rush, hands on every inch of each other’s bodies as their lips met again. When they fell back to the bed, Hermione smirked and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

“So I shouldn’t transfigure the bed into two then?” 

Draco growled as he pressed her into the mattress, “Don’t you fucking dare.”

* * *

Hermione woke early, the bright Spanish sun peeking through the tight weave of the canvas. The large, naked body of Draco pulled her back flush against his chest, his arm circling her waist. 

“I know you’re awake, Granger,” he mumbled into her curls. “Too early, don’t get up yet.” 

Hermione grinned and snuggled closer to his warmth beneath the thin blanket. “Hadn’t even crossed my mind.” 

She had closed her eyes briefly before a loud sound outside the tent had them both jolting. A snort sounded, followed by the crunching of many leaves and sticks on the ground, making both quickly grab their wands. Draco didn’t even bother with clothes as he slowly shuffled his way to the tent flap, wand arm extended in front of him. A loud laugh came from his lips as he looked out, his arm hitting his side as he took in the scene in front of him. Curiosity peaked further, Hermione wrapped the blanket around herself and swiftly followed. 

As she blinked against the morning sun, Hermione let out her own amused huff. There, surrounding their campsite, was the exact Thestral herd they had been tracking. They munched at the sausages littering the ground, and Hermione speedily counted their number in her head. 

“Thirteen.” she said, “All accounted for.” 

“So, what now?” Draco asked, still standing in all his glory as he watched the creatures eat. 

“Now, I notify the Ministry that the Thestrals are indeed here, and they’ll send out a team to relocate them back to Hogwarts. After you collect the hair for your potions supply, of course.” 

Draco looked over to Hermione with an arched brow. “There’s something else I need to do first.” 

  
“And what’s that?” Hermione gave him a quizzical look as he grabbed her hand, pulling her flush to his side.

Pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, Draco smirked as he drew back. “You.” 

Hermione blushed as he dragged them back towards the tent, her stomach filling with those well-known butterflies from his naked form in front of her. She didn’t know how she would ever be able to work by herself again. Nobody would compare to Draco Malfoy as a co-worker. 

Maybe now, she would be able to call him much more than that.


End file.
